The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
A team with heart
Three Crested Butte U12 teams headed to Delta this past weekend to compete in a tournament with other soccer-loving communities, including Ouray, Ridgway and Hotchkiss. The kids knew the competition would be stiff but they had no idea how hard they would have to fight.
The Crested Butte Lejos Azul team went to the tournament with 11 players … no subs. In their first game Azul managed to beat Hotchkiss 7-2 with what their coach described as one of the most “beautiful games” he had ever witnessed from kids this age.
Game two was against Ouray. It was a much tougher game as goals were traded throughout the match and at the end of the 60 minutes the game was tied at 4-4. Going into day two, Azul was the overall leader in its division with 15 points. Their first game on Sunday, however, was against their hometown rival—Blanco.
It was a bright and sunny day and the game turned out to be hard-fought, with both teams playing to their absolute potential. Goals were exchanged but Azul came out on top in the final minutes. It was now on to the championship game against an undefeated Delta. The team knew it was going to be the toughest match they had faced. It was hot and with no subs, it looked like an uphill climb.
Delta scored twice in the first few minutes despite the majority of balls being won by Azul. The ball was being fiercely fought over by both teams when Jovany Aguirre found the ball in the zone and passed it to Tommy Linehan, who tipped it to the corner. Suddenly the team was rejuvenated but Azul could not find the back of the Delta net and at halftime were down 4-1 down.
But showing great heart, the Azul team headed out for the second half determined to fight back. Winter Wallace took charge in the first five minutes and smacked one by the Delta keeper with a crisp assist from Slater Weil to make it 4-2. Carlos Franco then made a beautiful single-handed goal weaving between defenders and the deficit was now just a goal.
Delta then shot back and extended the lead to 5-3. Showing true grit, Aguirre again took the ball and found Wallace, who drove it home. Now it was 5-4. The crowd was on its feet. The momentum had shifted but time was running out. Azul’s defensemen John Smith, Sam Stepanek and Joe Coburn tightened up and set up a brick wall, making incredible passes out of the zone, and stopper Tate Young continued to control the mid-field, passing the ball out to the middies. Both sets of coaches were yelling, the crowd was yelling and in the last few moments of regulation Aguirre took the ball and put it in the back of the net off an assist from Summit Wallace as the final whistle blew. Tie game.
The crowd went crazy. What a comeback! The Azul team had no time to congratulate themselves. It was now time for the first of two five-minute “sudden death” overtimes. First team to score takes it all. The kids were exhausted but there was no sign of quitting.
The first overtime was back and forth with no score. Immediately the teams switched ends and started in on the second OT.
Despite Delta pressing hard the Azul keeper, Abram Nute, defended his turf without flinching. With only seconds left before a shoot-out desperation set in on both sides, Azul won the ball for a corner kick and they realized it was their last chance. The next three seconds will be remembered forever by the two players involved: the Wallace brothers. Summit sent a perfect corner kick to the front of the net where his brother Winter was waiting and in a swift move he headed the ball into the net for the win. The time was 5:01 when the referee stopped his clock. The 11 Azul players fought, never gave up and came away from the tournament with many lessons learned, a renewed confidence in their abilities but most of all with the self respect that comes with effort and a never-say-die attitude.
